Chapter 278: Promotion to Prefect

 Chapter 278: Promotion to Prefect

Yan Zhigao spent the day resting and then took Yan Wenxiu to visit the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. After meeting the second eldest of the Zhou family, they were led to the Ministry of Personnel to report and wait for the emperor’s summons.

During the wait, neither father nor son considered visiting the Yang family.

After several days of waiting, the Yang family could no longer hold back. Yang Boyi, accompanied by his eldest son, Yang Hongrui, personally visited to meet Yan Zhigao and his son.

Yan Zhigao and Yang Boyi were former classmates, and after many years of not seeing each other, they should have had a lot to talk about. Unfortunately, when they finally met, only awkwardness remained.

On the other hand, Yan Wenxiu and his cousin, Yang Hongrui, got along quite well and even made plans to visit a teahouse together in the future.

After a while, the Yang family left. Before they left, Yan Zhigao said, "Once I meet with the emperor, I'll visit my sister."

He said sister and not the Yang family.

Upon hearing this, Yang Boyi felt a little uncomfortable, and Yang Hongrui was visibly embarrassed.

In the past few years, their family had been far from friendly with the Yan family. Not only had they failed to offer any assistance, but they hadn’t even followed the basic courtesies.

He knew that his mother still harbored grievances, and now, seeing his uncle’s attitude, he realized that the Yang family wasn’t well-regarded.

Xingzhou

While Yan Zhigao waited for the emperor's summons, the Yan family carried on with their usual routine.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the fifth day of the second month.

On that day, a servant from the Yan family rushed back, panting, with a letter in hand.

"Madam, a letter from the master!"

Steward Sun, handed the letter to Madam Li, who eagerly opened it. Soon, a radiant smile spread across her face as she hurried to the Songhe Courtyard.

The second and third branches of the family also rushed to Old Madam Yan's courtyard upon hearing the news.

"Mother, good news! The master has been personally appointed by the emperor and is now a prefect of the fourth rank!"

Daohua, who had been playing with the parrot in Old Madam Yan’s courtyard, was instantly thrilled upon hearing this.

Madam Li quickly handed the letter to Old Madam Yan, who read it carefully. Upon confirming the contents, she immediately clasped her hands in prayer, exclaiming, "May the ancestors of the Yan family bless us!"

Daohua, too, read the letter with a joyful expression.

The better things were for her father, the better they would be for everyone else in the family.

At that moment, Yan Zhiyuan and the others arrived.

Yan Zhiyuan eagerly asked, "Sister-in-law, is it a letter from Big Brother?"

Madam Li nodded, smiling.

Yan Zhiyuan asked, "Is Big Brother being reassigned to the capital or to somewhere else?"

Madam Li replied, "He’s being reassigned to Ningmen Prefecture as the fourth-rank prefect."

Upon hearing that he wasn’t going to the capital, Yan Zhiyuan felt a bit disappointed. However, thinking about the fourth-rank prefect position, he smiled again and said, "Ningmen Prefecture? That’s still in Zhongzhou Province."

Madam Li nodded, "Yes, I’ve heard of Ningmen Prefecture. It’s the northernmost part of Zhongzhou. I think it might be somewhat barren?"

Meanwhile, the Zhou family also received the news, and Madam Zhou immediately took Zhou Jingwan to offer their congratulations.

While the Yan family didn’t realize the importance of Ningmen Prefecture, Old Master Zhou certainly did.

Ningmen Prefecture connected three provinces: Zhongzhou, Jiguang, and Fenxi. Ningmen Pass was also a crucial military checkpoint, and its jurisdiction was equivalent to three other prefectures combined. Historically, the prefects there had always been appointed personally by the emperor.

From this, it was clear that the emperor had a good opinion of Yan Zhigao; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been given such an important post.

While Madam Li entertained Madam Zhou, Daohua pulled Zhou Jingwan back to her own courtyard.

"What are you looking for?"

Seeing Daohua rush into the study, Zhou Jingwan was puzzled.

Daohua replied, "A map!"

She needed to see where Ningmen Prefecture was and learn about its geography.

Zhou Jingwan looked surprised. "You have a map?"

Their family only kept maps in the outer study, and women weren’t allowed in there.

Daohua didn’t even look back as she answered, "I borrowed it from Xiao Yeyang."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingwan sighed in envy, "The Young Prince really treats you well. Maps like that can’t be bought outside."

Daohua pulled the map off the shelf, unfolding it as she said with a smile, "That’s because he lost to me in a game of chess. This is my reward."

Zhou Jingwan rolled her eyes, "Do you really believe that? Your level of chess is only good enough to play with me. Against others, you'd just lose."

Daohua stubbornly replied, "Either way, I won it fair and square."

Zhou Jingwan couldn’t be bothered to argue further and quickly moved closer to Daohua. "Did you find it? Where is Ningmen Prefecture?"

Daohua pointed to a marked location on the map. "It's at the northernmost point of Zhongzhou Province, with a tributary of the Grand Canal flowing through it." She smiled and added, "Looks like we’ll be able to see each other more often from now on."

Zhou Jingwan smiled and nodded in agreement.

Her family owned a boat, so traveling along the Grand Canal would be quite convenient.

Daohua studied the map of Ningmen Prefecture carefully. "It connects the three provinces of Jiguang, Fenxi, and Zhongzhou. The jurisdiction of this prefecture is pretty vast."

Zhou Jingwan immediately said, "I’ve heard from my grandfather that General Guo is stationed at Ningmen Pass, which is within the jurisdiction of Ningmen Prefecture."

Daohua looked surprised. This was the first time she had heard of this. After a moment of thought, she said, "The bandit problem in Fenxi and the floods in Jiguang make things difficult, but Zhongzhou seems to be in better condition. Ningmen Prefecture will be tough to govern."

Zhou Jingwan looked intrigued. "My grandfather said the same thing, but he also said that, while it’s a difficult place, if one has the capability, it’s the easiest place to achieve success."

Daohua didn’t dwell on it too much. "Let my father worry about that," she thought.

Three days after receiving the letter from Yan Zhigao, Madam Li received another letter, this time from the Li family.

"What?! Cousin Zixuan’s engagement has been decided?"

Daohua was surprised. It had only been a little over two months since she and her two cousins parted ways. "Isn’t this a bit too fast?" She said, while reading the letter from her second uncle.

After reading it, Daohua sat down to ponder for a moment. Then, she looked up at Madam Li. "Mother, is it possible that the Fang family decided to settle the engagement because they found out that Father was promoted to the prefect of Ningmen?"

Madam Li tapped her daughter’s forehead with a smile. "Wherever you go, you're full of clever ideas."

She didn’t deny it, so it seemed that was indeed the case.

Daohua looked concerned. "Mother, if the Fang family is this opportunistic, will they treat Cousin Zixuan well?"

Madam Li paused before answering. "Since your second uncle approves of the Fang family’s young master, it means his character is acceptable. As for the opportunism... When families marry, it’s to support each other. If both sides can benefit, then it’s a win-win."

Daohua fell silent. After a while, she asked, "Mother, does that mean when it comes to my marriage, you’ll first consider whether it benefits the Yan family?"

Madam Li gave her a teasing look. "You naughty girl." She then pulled Daohua into her arms. "You are my daughter. I don’t expect you to bring any benefits to the family. All I want is for you to live a happy and fulfilling life. Don't worry about it. I won’t just marry you off to anyone."

Daohua grinned, climbing even higher up the teasing ladder. "Then, Mother, can I wait until I'm twenty before discussing marriage?"

This immediately earned her a flick on the forehead.

Madam Li frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about? Twenty, you'd be an old maid by then!"

Daohua was speechless. "Twenty is still the prime of life!" She quickly corrected herself, "Fine, how about eighteen? Eighteen should be fine, right?"

Madam Li sighed, glaring at Daohua. "You, always thinking about nonsense. Don’t worry about it. I can keep you at home a few more years, but when it comes to marriage, it’s better to start looking early."

Daohua was about to say something else, but Madam Li stopped her.

(End of Chapter)